'War In Gaza Is Over': Trump Says Ahead Of Israel Visit

US President Donald Trump on Monday declared the two-year long war in Gaza is over, suggesting normalisation of ties in the region is underway.

"The war is over," Trump told reportes aboard Air Force One as he begun his trip from Washington to Israel, where he will address the Knesset. "I think the ceasefire will hold, we have a lot of verbal guarantees," he added.

The leader is set to receive a hero's welcome in the Israeli parliament after he brokered a deal that allows return of the last remaining hostages from Gaza and an end to a war that has killed over 67,000 Palestinians and flattened the tiny enclave along the Mediterranean Sea.

Nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees in Israel will also be freed as part of the first phase of the US-brokered ceasefire deal.

Trump will meet Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the families of the Israeli hostages. Later on Monday, leaders from more than 20 countries will join Trump in Egypt for a summit on Gaza’s future.

The US president heaped praises on Netanyahu, saying, "He’s a wartime president. He did a very good job. I had some disputes with him, and they were quickly settled." The PM is deeply unpopular in his country, with many blaming him for prolonging the Gaza war and doing little to bring back hostages.

Meanwhile, a United Nations humanitarian agency said there has been “real progress” in aid operations across Gaza since the ceasefire took effect on Friday.

Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas agreed on the first phase of the Gaza peace plan on Thursday that allows for the release of Israeli hostages and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from some parts.

The announcement comes after two years of war in Gaza, triggered by the Oct. 7, 2023, attack by Hamas on Israel that killed nearly 1,200 people and more than 250 others taken hostage.